Camera Man: online video updates

Online video continues as one of the strongest social media trends, from ultralight camcorders to actual views. Here's a roundup of recent trends, tweaks and tips I've been collecting to keep you up-to-date:

• YouTube continues to dominate online video, in terms of monthly total streams (6.69 billion in September 2009 alone) and unique viewers (106 million in the same month), according to Nielsen. Don't skip YouTube if you want to maximize your reach.
• Facebook, which lags well behind in streams, actually comes in third when you count unique viewers, behind Yahoo! and YouTube.
• TED.com is whetting our appetite for extras--from embedding codes that allow bloggers to put your video on their sites, to interactive transcripts that scroll alongside the video; a comments section; translations; and bios and background material on every speaker. Check out this recent talk and all the trimmings. How can you enhance your viewers' online experience?
• Wish your Flip camcorder had wide-angle capabilities? You could order another pocket-sized camcorder like the Kodak Zi8with widescreen built in, or you can use this set of tips from the Advancing the Story blog about hacking your Flip with a wide-angle lens adapter kit. (Advancing the Story's a great source for the intersection of broadcast journalism and online video.)
• Flip cameras have gone through recent upgrades, and it's worth paying attention to the fine print with the new and old models so you can take advantage of improved features--or reduced prices. The new Flip MinoHD Camcorder 2nd Generation has a whopping 8GB of memory and can record 120 minutes without a charge. Important upgrades include audio, with a built-in wide-range, omni-directional microphone and a built-in speaker with software volume control; and a widescreen TV output with HDMITM. The Flip Minos include a built-in rechargeable battery (you just plug it into your computer's USB port). But if you don't want to risk an uncharged camera, the Flip Ultra 2nd Generation uses two AA batteries and gets similar long-recording times (but not the audio upgrades).
• While we're waiting on our tests of the Kodak Zi8 to come in, tester Jim Barlow shared this YouTube video that unpacks the camera, looks at its features and tests the external microphone jack.
• Other models of ultralight camcorders are flooding the market, among them the JVC PICSIO GC-FM1A HD Camcorder, which is tested in this video of the reviewer shooting sporting clays. (One of my testers tells me this would've worked better with a gun-mounted camera. Kids, don't try this at home.)
• As we've noted before, upgrades to Flip cameras mean the earlier, simpler models--still great camcorders--are now at bargain prices.

(Hat tips to Jim Barlow, Karl Leif Bates and Joe Bonner for additional source material for this post. The illustration is an original collage by Denise Graveline, and doesn't remotely resemble anyone I know.)

Related posts: 27 ways to Flip your PR visuals

Online video: Time's now on your side as audiences want longer videos

Get caught (up) with online video: 7 ways

Visuals don't just mean video: workshop materials